Governor of Pitcairn

The Governor of Pitcairn[1] is the representative of the British monarch in the Pitcairn Islands, the last remaining British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. Pitcairn has considerable local autonomy, but is under the authority of the colonial governor.

Flag of the Governor of Pitcairn
Pitcairn Islands
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
the Pitcairn Islands

Because of the dependency's small population (it peaked at 233 in the 1930s, and has since dwindled to 50), the British never considered it worthwhile to station a resident governor on Pitcairn. Instead, the Governor of Fiji doubled as governor of Pitcairn from 1898 onward. When Fiji became independent in 1970, the governorship of Pitcairn was transferred to the British high commissioner to New Zealand. The office is currently held by Laura Clarke.

Throughout most of its history, the authority of the British governor was, in practice, nominal. However, Richard Fell, governor of the Pitcairn Islands between 2001 and 2006, used the authority vested in him to dismiss the mayor Steve Christian, involved in the Pitcairn rape trial of 2004.

List of Governors since 1970
Governor of Pitcairn
№ Name

(Birth–Death)

 Title Portrait Tenure Notes Monarch
From Until
1 Sir Arthur Norman Galsworthy
(?–?)		 Governor of Pitcairn October 1970 January 1973

Elizabeth II

2 Sir David Aubrey Scott
(1919–2010)		 Governor of Pitcairn January 1973 1975 [2]
3 Sir Harold Smedley
(1920–2004)		 Governor of Pitcairn February 1976 1980 [3]
4 Richard Stratton
(?–?)		 Governor of Pitcairn September 1980 1984 [4]
5 Terence Daniel O'Leary
(?–?)		 Governor of Pitcairn July 1984 1987
6 Robin Byatt
(?–?)		 Governor of Pitcairn December 1987 1990
7 David Moss
(1938–)		 Governor of Pitcairn September 1990 1994
8 Robert John Alston
(1938–)		 Governor of Pitcairn August 1994 10 February 1998
9 Martin Williams
(1941–)		 Governor of Pitcairn April 1998 2001
10 Richard Fell
(1948–)		 Governor of Pitcairn 10 December 2001 April 2006
11 George Fergusson
(1955–)		 Governor of Pitcairn 2 May 2006 18 May 2010
– Mike Cherrett
(?–?)		 Acting
Governor of Pitcairn		 19 May 2010 3 June 2010
12 Victoria "Vicki" Treadell
(1959–)		 Governor of Pitcairn 3 June 2010 July 2014
13 Jonathan Sinclair
(1970–)		 Governor of Pitcairn 15 August 2014 9 December 2017
– Robin Shackell
(?–?)		 Acting
Governor of Pitcairn		 9 December 2017 January 2018
14 Laura Clarke
(?–?)		 Governor of Pitcairn January 2018 Present


See also

References
  1. While the territory is commonly called 'Pitcairn Islands', the official title of the office of her governor is 'Governor of Pitcairn' under section 27(1) of the Pitcairn Constitution Order, 2010.
  2. From 1 January 1974, Sir David Aubrey Scott.
  3. From 31 December 1977, Sir Harold Smedley.
  4. From 1982, Sir Richard Stratton.
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